Shutting off the mains water

[Alasdair]

When I lived in Scotland, every householder had a T-shaped key to turn off the water at the stopcock in the street. The stopcock consisted of a tapered tap and a half-turn of the key shut it off.

When I moved to England, I was told it was a criminal offence for a householder to turn off his own water supply in the street and only servants of the water company were allowed to this and the water company charged vast fees for doing it.

Can someone please tell me the position as I want to replace the washer on the indoor stopcock under the sink?

[Don Spumey]

No it's not illegal to turn off the main stop-c*ck in the street! But what you do have to consider is the fact that not only do you "cut-off" the supply to your premises, but also (normally) to your immediate neighbors (either side)!

So for "neighborly" good relations, I would forewarn them that you are doing so ;-))

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Well do it if want, no one will be none the wiser should only take half hour?

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Heh! immediatly outside every house in the street where I am is a cut off valve for each independant house.

[EricP]

I would avoid whoever gave you this information, they sound like they could turn dangerous.

[the_constructor]

I was responsible for selling Mother's bungalow after she passed away. A condition of the insurance company was that because the bungalow was empty, all services should be turned off. I rang Northumbrian Water and informed them of my wishes. They came within the hour and turned the water off. About

9 months later, I asked them to turn water back on due to my wife & I wanting to spruce the place up a little. They told me I could do it my self, I didn't need a engineer to do it. I told them that it was deeper than my arm would reach. They were back within an hour. When I first moved into the North East about 7 years ago, I asked Northumbrian Water to turn off the water outside because although we could reach the stopcock, it had a funny fitting instead of a T bar on top of it. They arrived and actually gave me a special tool, looked like a metal rod with 2 nuts welded onto the bottom to fit the stopcock. In both cases, there was no charge at all.

-- the_constructor

[AG]

Not anymore. Or it should not be so. The water company in this area went round every dwelling and installed a stopcock for each home outside the boundaries of the property. I had assumed every water company had done likewise.

[Don Spumey]

Yorkshire water haven't "got around" to it in my area unfortunately. Mind you the whole area was designed by some Danish blonde bimbo who should have been made to live here so she could experience her 'handy work'

Don.

[ARWadsworth]

I only found out the stop tap in my street (directly outside my house) feeds

4 houses not just two after I turned it off. The next door but one neighbour came round to ask if I was having water problems. He was in the shower when I turned the tap off.

Adam

[Vodkajelly]

oh dear :-)